Publication Date

1990

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Cooper, Martha, 1954-

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Communication Studies

LCSH

Ghost dance; Dakota Indians--Religion

Abstract

The Ghost Dance Movement of 1890 as it was adapted by the Sioux was a social movement aimed at the revitalization of their culture. The Sioux were a strong and proud people prior to their subjugation on reservations. There they faced forced acculturation, mistreatment, and starvation. The Ghost Dance Movement provided hope of a new world where the Sioux could live as before with an abundance of game and free from white interference. The Ghost Dance Movement triggered a tragic series of events, resulting in the Wounded Knee Massacre. This thesis undertakes the task of determining what rhetorical factors influenced the development of the Ghost Dance Movement among the Sioux and how those factors resulted in the Wounded Knee Massacre. The Ghost Dance Movement among the Sioux is identified as a revital ization movement and Wallace's stages of revitalization are utilized to provide a framework for the description of the movement and a method for determining the rhetorical pivots of the Movement; Fantasy-theme analysis is used to uncover the predominant rhetorical visions of each culture prior to and throughout the Ghost Dance Move ment. This analysis shows that the conflicting rhetorical visions fed upon each other until they were so militant and separate that violence was inevitable. This study provides a methodology which can help future study of revitalization movements, as well as guide the development of active revitalization movements.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references (pages 170-176)

Extent

v, 176 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

Download

Share

COinS